Pet lovers rejoice. Now you can count down the days to Christas with your furry friend. Sam’s Club is bringing back its popular pet advent calendar for dogs after sniffing out best in show flavors guaranteed to put a wag in your dog’s tail this season
The advent calendar for dogs comes with 35 grain-free meat treats, including chicken burgers, duck fillets, chicken bites, and turkey stars to name a few. This year on the last day your pup even gets a 8” bully stick.
Your pooch will go nuts for these delicious and healthy all-natural treats that only have 1-2 ingredients! They are now available in select clubs and online for just $9.98, so run to the club or order online before they are gone.
Sam’s Club also just dropped Member’s Mark Oven-Baked Holiday Flavor Dog Treats that look just like your favorite holiday sugar cookies. For just $9.98 for two 2.5 pound bags, your dog can enjoy these Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Pie-inspired snacks all season long.
The Elf on the Shelf is a beloved tradition in many households during the holiday season. This year Kellogg’s wants to bring your favorite scout elf to the breakfast table with The Elf on the Shelf Vanilla Candy Cane Cookie Cereal, the newest “Official Cereal of the North Pole” available exclusively at Walmart. The Elf on the Shelf Sugar Cookie Cereal will also be returning to stores nationwide and online.
The festive, limited-edition cereal features red star pieces sprinkled with white crunchlets that intermingle with red and white swirled mini marshmallows. The deliciously sweet vanilla flavor combines perfectly with just the right touch of peppermint and marshmallows. This new flavor joins the holiday lineup and complements the original collaboration, Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf Sugar Cookie Cereal. Featuring sugar cookie-flavored red and green star pieces and mini marshmallows dusted with edible glitter, this limited-edition cereal will return to retail shelves this month for the second year.
“The Elf on the Shelf has captured the hearts of millions of families,” said Erin Storm, senior marketing director of Kellogg All Family Cereal. “Our new The Elf on the Shelf Vanilla Candy Cane Cookie Cereal encourages families to bring the magic of the holiday season to the breakfast table, whether it’s by enjoying a spoonful of Candy Cane Cookie, Sugar Cookie or a combination of both.”
Find the new Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf Vanilla Candy Cane Cookie Cereal exclusively at Walmart, while Kellogg’s The Elf on the Shelf Sugar Cookie Cereal returns to stores nationwide and online. Both limited-edition products are available at Walmart while supplies last at a suggested retail price of $5.69 for a 12.2-ounce box, and Sugar Cookie is available at retailers nationwide for $3.99 for an 8.1-ounce box. For more information, follow Kellogg’s on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“Make three different cookies–a dozen of each–inspired by your family holiday memories and traditions.”
That was the assignment on a recent holiday baking show I watched.
It occurred to me that I would have failed miserably. It’s not that I can’t bake, or that I can’t bake cookies. I just have no family memories or traditions associated with cookies.
My family never baked at the holidays. Occasionally we’d get a tin or box of assorted cookies—chocolate and plain shortbreads, butter cookies, and so forth—that we kids called “kind-a-wanna cookies” because we could each choose the kind we wanted. My mother’s baking exploits centered around box cake mixes, lemon meringue pies for my father (his favorite dessert), and slice-n-bake chocolate chip cookies. (I notice that now the company that makes these believes even slicing to be too much to task the modern baker with.)
I did have one holiday cookie-baking ritual in my teens, however. I would go over to my friend Peggy’s house and we would make either chocolate chip cookies (from scratch, no slicing involved) or sugar cookies.
The chocolate chip cookies were ones we had learned how to bake in home ec class and Peggy still had the original recipe on the original 3″ by 5″ index card. I know she recopied the card when it became old and ragged, and I think she may have laminated it. Actually, Peggy did the baking. I helped with the math and ate some of the raw cookie dough, this being back in the days before that was dangerous or if it was, we didn’t know it.
Our other holiday cookie tradition was Christmas sugar cookies. Again, these were from scratch and my assignment was to sprinkle the cut-out Santas and bells and stars with red and green sugar sprinkles. We’d listen to the radio (but not Christmas carols) and tuck the cookies lovingly away in colorful tin boxes with layers of wax paper. After eating just a couple ourselves, of course.
So, were I to be magically transported to a holiday baking contest, what could I make? Chocolate chip and sugar cookies, of course. Though I’d have to think up trendy flavors like bourbon-guava-cinnamon-chip cookies and sugar cookies adorned with fondant and gum paste and decorative isomalt shards.
But what would my third cookie be?
As a young adult, I had a recipe for a spice cake with raisins that I adored. Back in the day my friends and I were always broke, so I made small loaf pans of spice cake and my husband made miniature banana cakes from his Grammy’s recipe. So I suppose I might have to fudge a little and make banana-spice cookies with raisins. (Fudge! Now there’s an idea!) Not a childhood memory, but sort of a family tradition, of a new family just starting out anyway.
I suppose I could make some kind of peanut butter cookie. That was one my mother did make from scratch, and I loved pressing the fork into the dough to make the criss-cross on top. I suppose today we would call them “hashtag cookies.” They’re not very “holiday,” but at least they represent a family memory.
Or, if I was a really accomplished baker, I could invent some kind of lemon-bar cookie with a toasted meringue on top, in honor of my father’s favorite, but non-holiday, pie. My mother would slip the pie into the oven to brown the meringue, but nowadays I see people using blowtorches. I still think of blowtorches as things that belong in the garage, though, not the kitchen.
No, this year I’ll do the same as ever. I don’t have children and Peggy’s son is now grown, but when she comes to town for the holidays, I fully expect we’ll both make time in our schedules for a cookie-baking fest. Chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles. They won’t win any competitions, but I can honestly say they are holiday traditions.
Hi! I'm a freelance writer and editor who writes about education, books, cats and other pets, bipolar disorder, and anything else that interests me. I live in Ohio with my husband and a varying number of cats.
Does your oven work overtime during the holidays season? Sugar cookies are a staple of every holiday cookie swap and now this flavor is popping up in our favorite candies. Hershey’s just announced the new Sugar Cookie Kisses will be hitting store shelves just in time for the holiday season.
The new melt-in-your-mouth Hershey’s Sugar Cookie Kisses candy embodies that soft, sweet taste that is delicately crafted into one delicious bite, with no baking required.
These festive Kisses are made with a sugar cookie flavored creme and sprinkled with red and green cookie pieces. These new Kisses are great for a sweet treat, sharing with those you love or topping off your favorite holiday blossoms recipe.
Hershey’s Sugar Cookie Kisses will start appearing on shelves nationwide this fall. This limited-edition flavor will come in 7.5 and 9 ounce bags.
In addition to the new Sugar Cookie variety, Hershey’s is bringing back the Kisses Hot Cocoa flavor. These milk chocolate kisses are filled with marshmallow-flavored creme creating the experience of drinking a delicious cup of hot cocoa. These Kisses will be available nationwide in 10 and 8 ounce bags.
Walmart is kicking off fall (and spooky season!) early this year with the release of their 2020 Great Value Fall Bake Center starting in September. If you’ve found yourself baking more during quarantine this year, get ready to level up your skills with some fun, themed baking kits that the kids will want to help with, too.
There are six Great Value Halloween Kits to indulge every kind of sweet tooth. There are a few selections for brownie lovers and meringue aficionados alike:
Ghost Meringue Kit (which comes with an easy-to-use icing pen!)
Graveyard Brownie Kit complete with bone-shaped candy pieces.
Halloween Whoopie Pie Kit with fluffy purple filling. Mmmmm. Purple.
Skull Sugar Cookie Kit that has a skull cookie cutter included.
Spooky Vortex Sugar Cookie Kit to make eye catching colorful swirled cookies.
Monster Eyes Sugar Cookie Kit with candy eyes!
Each kit will retail for $4.97 and be available in Walmart stores beginning September to have you baking sweet treats right up to Halloween.
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” If anyone knows how best to spread holiday cheer, It’s Buddy the Elf. International Delight is partnering with the beloved holiday movie Elf to release a special edition of coffee creamers that taste like they are straight from Santa’s workshop.
These flavors, only available through the holiday season, include Frosted Sugar Cookie, Peppermint Mocha, and new Caramel Waffle Cookie.
Caramel Waffle Cookie Creamer is filled with notes of rich caramel and toasty waffle cookie.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Creamer brings a holiday treat to your morning cup, like a sweet and crumbly cookie alongside your coffee with a festive frosting finish.
Peppermint Mocha Creamer offers a classic winter flavor combo of sweet and peppermint and rich chocolate in one creamer.
My husband recently went to a few work dinners with colleagues. You know, the kind that involves a certain level of schmoozing with vendors and a good amount of red meat. He also has the opportunity to meet up with work friends during his workday lunches.
Coming home from one particular work dinner, I just couldn’t stand it anymore.
I hadn’t worn a bra all day and I wasn’t able to shower until 3pm. Not by choice. Samantha was sick, I was sick, the house was a mess (to say the least), laundry was needed and our dishes were overflowing out of the sink.
I ended up spending the day deep cleaning bathrooms and trying to keep my toddler entertained while fighting off the urge to turn on Elmo for her.
HUSBAND: “We went to Clifton’s in Downtown LA…They are known for their fried chicken, but I had pork, it was good. The restaurant has a really cool ambiance. Definitely an after-work bar atmosphere.”
ME: “So..what was it like?”
HUSBAND: “What was what like?”
ME: “Having an uninterrupted dinner? Describe the meat for me. Did it melt in your mouth? Did you get a side? What music were they playing? Did you get to have a discussion about the weather? The election? Did you get to eat your meal without someone crawling into your lap and hounding you for another cup of juice, a graham cracker, a cookie, a story, a show, a tissue, a…..I NEED A BREAK!!!!”
Whoa. Catherine has officially lost all her marbles. Seriously. They shot out everywhere and her poor husband didn’t even get a chance to run for cover.
Peyton calmly approached the scene of the massacre…”well why didn’t you say so? I would love to watch Samantha for you when I come home from work. Go get a pedicure. Go to the store alone. Go drive-true McDonalds and get 3 sugar cookies and a diet coke. Do. It.” It was at this time that I truly knew this man loved me (and my addiction to McDonalds sugar cookies. Seriously, have you had them?)
I stepped back and realized that I have been overloading my plate with numerous (and UNNECESSARY errands) like Lowes (for spray paint!) and Joanns (for unneeded craft projects). Don’t even get me started on all the countless trips to HomeGoods to try and find The. Perfect. Bathroom. Rug. (helpful side note- It doesn’t exist.)
So I took up him on the offer. I mean…of course I did. I went to Ralphs. I took my dang sweet time perusing the dairy aisle. Wow, whats this new yogurt? Ohhhh, Halloween candy. You know, all the things that you don’t get to look at when your toddler is running away from you and spilling juice in aisle 10?
It was glorious. I got everything on my list, and a candy bar at check out because I didn’t have to share it with a two year old on my ride home. I was able to find out that they do indeed have Israeli Cous Cous (aisle 5) and the frozen fruit for smoothies is actually next to the frozen pizza, NOT the frozen vegetables, like you would’ve thought.
I came to the realization that I need to do this more often. I need to take a freaking break. I have come to understand that my brain becomes to mush after 5pm. Somewhere in between incentives of chocolate chips for potty training and trying to reason with someone wearing a Rapunzel dress, bad things happen to a good person.
So now, I vow to take a break. Will you? Take a breather. Step back from the messy house and walk (or run) to the nearest mall without feeling SHAMEFUL for being honest with yourself for needing some quiet time.
I can’t do it all. I can’t even do half of it. But one day I will. Not today. But someday. Today I will take a mommy time-out, go get a $1 Diet Coke, and I will be a better person when I come back to Rapunzel. Join me on this adventure. Say it with me, I will not be ASHAMED of my needs for a break!
Okay, thats enough. Peyton is home and I am heading to the library so I can sit uninterrupted for 30 minutes and read a book I can’t put down. Peace Out.
Huge Shout out and fist bumps to the husbands (especially mine) who let us have 2 seconds to ourselves and encourage us to take a break. These men have learned the true value of “happy wife, happy life,” and I adore them for it.
Hi, i'm Cat! We live in Orlando, Florida where my husband works for Mickey Mouse (no, really). We have two kids, Samantha (5) & Preston (2). I suffer from a chronic illness called Short Bowel Syndrome. My ramblings are dedicated to travel adventures, nap time confessions and my medical journey. Cheers!
If your kids can’t wait for the new Trolls sequel, they’ll be delighted to bake up a batch of the new Pillsbury Trolls Sugar Cookies.
The ready-to-bake Pillsbury Shape Limited Edition Trolls Sugar Cookie Dough features your favorite Troll characters, Poppy and Branch, complete with their colorful hairdos. Each pack contains 12 already cut cookies ready to pop in the oven and enjoy during your next hug break.
photo: Courtesy of Pillsbury
The cookies are available at major grocers nationwide this month and are priced at $2.50 per pack. Trolls World Tour hits theaters Apr. 17, 2020.
What would happen if you accidentally dropped an ooey, gooey iced Pop-Tart into a box of sweet, sweet Fruit Loops? Now you don’t have to imagine—because, according to recent reports, these cereal-spiked toaster pastries are an actual thing.
Instagrammer @Snackstalker recently spotted the toaster treats at Walmart. Along with a pic of the box, @Snackstalker wrote, “The best holiday gift is here!”
If you’re a fan of either breakfast treat, the limited-edition snacks are right up your alley. The 16-pack box, which is only available in stores (as of now), has days of snacks in store for Pop-Tart and Fruit Loop lovers alike.
Even though Kellogg’s doesn’t list the Fruit Loop-filled flavor on its website, Instagrammers are still finding boxes across the country. If you can’t find this sugar-packed pick at your local Walmart, you still have plenty of Pop-Tart options. Fab flavors such as the unicorn-themed Sparkelicious Cherry, Cookies & Creme, Drizzled Sugar Cookie Frosted Brownie Batter and Vanilla Milkshake are all still tasty choices!
If you haven’t yet jumped on the dessert hummus bandwagon, then there’s no better place to start than with ALDI’s Sugar Cookie Hummus.
Fans of sweet hummus-like Trader Joe’s Chocolate Hummus are sure to love ALDI’s newest additions. ALDI has announced both a Sugar Cookie Hummus and a Chocolate Mint Dessert Hummus coming to stores as an ALDI Find for Dec. 18 to 24. Although, some Instagram users have already spotted it on the shelves!
If the idea of a dessert hummus sounds strange, it’s all about how you eat it. As the package suggests, you can use it to jazz up vanilla wafers, pretzels and graham crackers or simply “by the spoonful.”
Both flavors come in an 8-ounce container for $3.49.
